VOLUNTEER: Champion for volunteers at Team Expansion in Louisville, KY. Way beyond childcare, we are looking to equip young minds and hearts for living and loving abroad with their families and we need more joyful helpers during our missionary trainings and home service appointments. We’ve even had whole children’s ministry teams come and serve during weeks of big training events. To volunteer with MKs, fill out this volunteer application and mail or email it to Team Expansion, Attn: MK Department.
TEACH YOUR KIDS AT VBS OR SUNDAY SCHOOL: Invite a missionary to speak, especially someone your church supports. Have attendants bring in coins to donate, maybe with a competition twist like boys vs girls, or using the money to count as votes for one thing or another. Kids who have been exposed to the idea of missions early on will have a better chance of being compassionate friends to MKs they meet.
ORGANIZE PEN PALS: We can link your children’s ministry classes to real MKs they can write to and ask questions of and pray for. This is not to seek the novelty of peering into a foreign life, but a way to help MKs feel that they are normal and have friends back in their passport country, while educating children about the missionary life. Please be understanding there is a limited number of families that can participate, so we may not be able to meet all requests.
PRAY: Use the MK Prayer Force emails [link to sign-up], or prayer requests from the missionary families your congregation supports, and host special prayer services just focused on the kids’ needs – or include them in regular corporate prayers during your weekly worship.
SUPPORT A FAMILY: Missions takes financial support, and churches can do this beautifully. If you don’t know of any missionary families, we can connect you! Then be sure to get to know the kids, what they might like in care packages, send them birthday cards, subscribe them to magazines on subjects they love, help them feel like part of the fold when their family visits on furlough. Contact Denise at dtolbert@teamexpansion.org for more information.
ADOPT COLLEGE-AGE MKS: MKs transitioning from their family’s country of service to the U.S.A. for college or to start their adult life is common and can be difficult, especially if the family stayed abroad. Once you know they’re among you, a family or two in your congregation could have them for dinner, host them for holidays, remember their birthdays, show them best places to shop for necessities, and just help them have a home base during this time.